Can I be fined - has anyone actually been fined?

[Weathergames]

Hi, I want to take my 3 kids away in July - meaning they would miss the last 3 days of term when all they do is watch films DS1 will have left by then anyway.

Can the school actually fine me? Has anyone been fined for taking their kids out for a few days (kids have 100% attendance).

I work for the LA (not the same as where kids are at school) in attendance and I know the LA I work for would not spend money prosecuting me for 3 days absence.

Slightlyconfused - I am a teacher - we don't show films we are not allowed. They learn until the last minute, no matter how hard it is for the teacher

Now that's just not true for primary is it? Parents know it's not true, teachers know it's not true. You might be working until the last minute, but the children are not learning until the last minute. That might be true most of the school term but a couple of days before Christmas and summer holidays?

Well I guess that depends on the school but in my (secondary) school yes they are learning until the last timetabled lesson. They then have assemblies, prize givings and celebrations of achievement which I happen to think is quite important to attend. They can then go on holiday in one of the 13 weeks available to them the rest of the year. I can understand the frustration for families that holidays are so much more expensive in school holidays (I have a family myself, I get it) , but this is really an issue for the government and the airlines/holiday companies. Schools and teachers shouldn't have to suffer with patchy classes and poor attendance. That, or school holidays could be staggered across LEAs to allow for cheaper holidays to be accessed - this then wouldn't affect learning.

As for primary schools, I wouldn't know I don't work in one.

I'm a primary teacher. We are not allowed to show films either, except for once a year at the end of the Christmas term as a treat.

"That, or school holidays could be staggered across LEAs to allow for cheaper holidays to be accessed"

I keep seeing this being rolled out as a solution. Do you really not think that the tour operators wouldn't put their prices up to match?

maybe clam just a solution focused suggestion seeing as I am disagreeing with the OP. In my experience it is annoying to loudly disagree and then not offer alternatives. Better idea?

No point in offering "solutions" that aren't viable, however.

Do you agree with the OP then? Should she be able to take her children out at the end of the term seeing as there are no other 'viable' alternatives for her? Do you find it frustrating when members of your class are missing on unauthorised holidays? I certainly do but perhaps other teachers don't find this frustrating.

To my mind, the whole film thing's a red herring. They could be learning all the very most important times tables (7x and 8x - everyone knows these are the best) that week, and it STILL wouldn't be wrong to take them out of school.

I'm a primary teacher. We are not allowed to show films either, except for once a year at the end of the Christmas term as a treat. That's my point clam.

I've seen threads on here about this subject time and time again where some teachers (not all btw) insist this isn't true and berate a poster for choosing to spend that day, while they're are not learning in school, to go on holiday a day early.

Should laws be obeyed just because they are laws?

Within a civilised society, yes. That's the whole point of democracy - a framework is agreed to protect its citizens which involves rights and responsibilities, and in return for that security people try to live within it

Nobody pretends it's perfect but it's the best we have for now, especially as it includes the right to campaign for change where necessary, and those who refer to different laws in less settled societies forget that, while some examples may suit their purpose, a lot very definitely would not

Probably no one answer will ever be acceptable to everyone, but the consequences of each person simply suiting themselves are appalling - as we already see far too often

I fail to see how my pointing out that tour operators will hike their prices to match any change in school holiday dates means that I agree with the OP's decision to take her children out of school!

I have quite deliberately refrained from judging her, actually. I can see both sides of the argument, but I wanted to correct the commonly-held perception that "all" primary schools sit around watching films for the last 2 weeks of school. Not true.

You do not get a criminal record. A crime is committed under s444 (I think) of the Education Act 1996 if a parent fails to ensure their child attends school. The offence is however negated by the pupil attendance regulations (I can find the statutory reference and exact wording of these if anyone really needs it) if the parent instead pays the fine levied by the school/LA.

This is NOT the same as a speeding fine which IS a criminal conviction. It may have little impact on most people but if you want to become a magistrate or emigrate or get certain jobs then make no mistake that speeding IS a criminal conviction

Within a civilised society, yes.

I agree up to a point. But who gets to decide when you're in a "civilised society"? To the minds of many, our current democratic system is only nominally democratic, and doesn't work for the good of very many people in very many situations. Examples in "less settled societies" are not qualitatively different from what we have here. There have been, for instance, anti-black laws in situations where many would have argued their society was civilised, settled and democratic. Also, laws can never subsitute for the decent considerate moral reasoning of the individual.

About the "end of term DVDs" ...

Obviously none of us can speak for every school one way or another, but surely this is a bit like a school being closed for a boiler breakdown or whatever; in that situation, no child is personally left behind, no class is missing certain pupils and nobody's held up later because a couple of children missed something while they were away ... everyone's on the same page, so to speak, and disruption is lessened

What would the child be missing on DVD day? A film?

Not school work and no-one is held up later because there was nothing to catch up on anyway

Examples in "less settled societies" are not qualitatively different from what we have here

They ruddy well are when lawbreaking can earn you a bullet in the brain and an invoice sent to your family!!!

Seriously, though, I completely get a lot of what you said - I fully realise our sytem isn't perfect - but somehow we have to work within it, and I believe there are many more important things to worry about than passing inconveniece to a few parents

I don't agree with the school fines but I'm paying it for DD's holiday (reasons up thread) because that is the way things are now. I'm just glad I don't have to foot the bill for the holiday because I'll be working 24/7 for the next year

I don't begrudge the downtime at end of term and christmas anyway.
I work in the NHS. On Christmas day, all routine procedures stop, no ward rounding/meetings etc.

We get all our elderly patients up and washed, dressed in their finest (if they are well enough and there are no emergencies) and take them to the day room for christmas lunch, music and movies.

It's fab

'Scuse the typos in my last post. *ward rounds, not rounding!

Ours have already started watching DVDs.

Retro

Ours are doing 'extended playtime' on sunny days.